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My little space on the web where I blog about comics and comic books, drawing and illustration, graphic design, writing stories, and a few tips and tutorials from time to time about them. I'll also share bits about movies, theater, music, (maybe even cooking!) and whatever strikes my fancy.

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Some of my coworkers have been taking street dancing classes over the past months, and I gamely joined the group. They would hire an instructor and classes would be held in a small studio in the Wack-Wack area. Though I've only attended a couple of sessions, both were much to my satisfaction. I love the snappy-jazzy hip-hoppy style, and the sexy touches added on give the routine an overall androgyny. (For a sample of the kind of choreo taught to us, you can check this video out. It's a dance session conducted by G-Force, which holds classes at the Shnagri-La Mall.)

It's been months since I've visited the gym, or worked out in general. Since the Summit offices moved to Pioneer end-May, trips to Galleria have been scarce, and my membership status is by definition wasted money. I don't know if I'll ever renew, but I miss hitting the weights.

My inactivity has taken its toll somewhat. Last week I started my home workouts again with the good ol' workout videos. I …

The punchline: Cuil.com was developed by former Google employees, led by Anna Patterson.

Read all about it here. Or, try out a search on Cuil.com and see if you like the results. The results listing is unlike any other search engine--quite refreshing, actually. Though functionality and relevance remain to be seen.

By special request, I added a link on the sidebar to the 14-page online preview. Yup, it's still 14 pages, and Budjette had already oh-so-gently harangued me about it.

So what happened?

Rewrites. Oh, correction--major rewrites.

The few resources I've studied in the past do stress the importance of rewriting and revising as part of the whole storytelling process, but I've always had this notion that comics writers had it all easy. It took me about a month to pen One Night In Purgatory and about half a year to write the first Zaturnnah book before continuing the scripting during the art stage. Shorter works would require less than two weeks. Heck, friend Marco wrote a graphic novel script over a weekend!

A friend would repeatedly tell me, "Stop thinking and just do it!" Then there are those who've said that it would be better if I didn't do a sequel at all. If only it were that easy. Apart from addressing the clamor for a follow-up to an arguably successful boo…

I was invited by the UP Writers Club to give a short talk on the Pinoy graphic novel. The event took place yesterday. I hope I offered enough useful information, since the primary feedback was that my lecture was the "most entertaining so far." While I normally sweat like a pig trying to make my talks as engaging as possible, it would be dandy if the club emailed me some constructive comments on what I babbled on about for over an hour.

Apart from sharing the "fresh" advice I wrote in my last post, I also gave a few of my opinions about the graphic novel. In a way, these opinions form my manifesto, a set of rules I've found myself following after reviewing the process I go through in developing my own comics work, as well as my thoughts on the graphic novel form. Some may be debatable, but I've taken these to heart.To me, a graphic novel is not just literature or fiction. It is not just visual art. It is also performance art.My graphic novels will contain st…

Be Professional. You must have the conduct of a professional to be treated in a professional way. Research a bit about how the publishing industry operates, and what is expected of an author.Make your work well-Researched. Your work should highlight an expertise or knack you possess or practice. Your work should present itself as an authority, or at least should tell a publisher and reader that you know what you're talking about.Make your work well-Edited. Your work should have been read and reread, edited, revised, and polished.Make your work Stimulate. Your work should have content that provokes the kind of emotional or intellectual response you intend. Make your work Connect. Your work should use a style that is attuned to the audience you want to reach.Make your work Unique in the marketplace. Your work should offer something new, or offer a new take on a subject.Put them all together, you get PRESCU! In short, your work should be "fresh." :-)

It's during these ceremonies when I find myself thinking of age. And when you're homosexual, the idea of age eating up youth and vigor can be scary at times. While I've relegated the concept of age to just that--a concept--bearing witness to the milestones of straight friends and family always gives me a dose of the worries. There is that "rule" that the age of a homosexual is indirectly proportional to his marketability. And I, who hadn't experienced being extremely marketable in my teenage and young adult life, can't help but wonder if the rule has been implemented of late.

But I don't feel old. I don't feel like I'm 37. Perhaps all that mental conditioning I've done in the past few years have pinned me on 26, which I wholeheartedly embrace. And I did that only because I'm a late-bloomer, only recently discovering what I wanted to d…

Last night found me at the GMA compound, cor. EDSA and Timog Avenue, where I participated in a segment of Sweet Life, the lifestyle show hosted by Lucy Torres-Gomez and Wilma Doesnt. I was to be interviewed about the first Zaturnnah book along with Manix Abrera (Kikomachine) and his dad, veteran catoonist Jess Abrera (A. Lipin).

At first I didn't know who would join me in the panel. In fact, I didn't know there was to be a panel at all. Apparently, the Sweet Life staff don't have a lot of time to put a week's worth of shows together, so they had to move heaven and all its planets to get some guests on. It was only when I arrived at the studio that I learned that I would be with the Abreras. A sigh of relief for me, the experience on a talk show being my first.

After getting my face made up and having a little chitchat with some of the Sweet Life staff, I saw Manix come in with his lovely girlfriend and the great Sir Jess, who was one of the most charming people I've …

I've had a long and fruitful career in graphic design, article writing, and magazine art direction, and I've dabbled in theatre acting, playwriting, and teaching in university. But Fate led me to making comics, where I've found unexpected and flattering success.